Numerical study of the effect of obstacles on the spontaneous ignition of high-pressure hydrogen

Abstract A numerical simulation of the spontaneous ignition of high-pressure hydrogen in a duct with two obstacles on the walls is conducted to explore the spontaneous ignition mechanisms. Two-dimensional rectangular ducts are adopted, and the Navier–Stokes equations with a detailed chemical kinetic mechanism are solved by using direct numerical simulations. In this study, we focus on the effects of the initial pressure of hydrogen and the position of the obstacles on the ignition mechanisms. Our results demonstrate that the presence of obstacles significantly changes the spontaneous ignition mechanisms producing three distinct ignition mechanisms. In addition, the position of the obstacles drastically changes the interaction of shock waves with the contact surface, and spontaneous ignition may take place at a relatively low pressure in some obstacle positions, which is attributed to the propagation direction and interaction timing of two reflected shock waves.